Aldon Smith now has a year to think about his next snap from scrimmage.

Fair enough. But the National Football League has five seconds to call me to explain why it took so long to determine Smith’s punishment.

One … two … three … all right, I guess that’s not going to happen.

Perhaps the NFL will clarify its reasoning eventually. I’m not holding my breath. The truth is, the league should have taken about five minutes to determine and issue Smith’s suspension way back in August, not long after he was arrested for his third DUI violation. Remember, the NFL does not have to wait on the legal system. It can conduct its own investigation and dispense its own justice.

Instead, here we are in mid-November. And finally, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has ruled on Smith’s case.

During the interim, the troubled linebacker was cut by the 49ers, signed by the Raiders, played nine games in an Oakland uniform and earned at least a few million dollars in the process.

Did Smith learn anything by this? Did the league? Did anyone?

It’s not clear to me that the answer to any of those questions is “yes.” Or why the decision took so long.

In the wake of Tuesday’s announcement, much of the focus was on a tangential hot-button issue: Smith’s punishment of a full calendar year exceeded the punishment received by Dallas Cowboys defensive end Greg Hardy, who was found guilty of assaulting his girlfriend and then assessed a 10-game suspension by Goodell. Hardy appealed the conviction, which resulted in dropped charges — and the suspension was reduced to four games by an arbiter.

Yes, it seems odd that Hardy’s suspension was less severe for a 2014 domestic violence incident (documented by ugly photos) than the suspension that Smith received for a clumsy and sad August encounter in a Santa Clara parking garage that resulted in a dented car door but no physical harm to anyone.

The official explanation for such disparate punishments? Hardy’s suspension was issued under a previous NFL discipline policy, one that Goodell tried and failed to unilaterally revise after the league’s new emphasis on zero tolerance for domestic violence. By the time Smith’s episode occurred in August — his fifth arrest overall — the policy had changed and been approved by the players’ union.

That’s all just bureaucratic minutiae, however. I keep returning to the central issue:

What, exactly, is the NFL trying to accomplish with the way this entire suspension procedure works? Let’s use Smith’s case as an example:

None of this is meant to trivialize Smith’s situation or wish him ill will. The guy has demons. You have to hope he can conquer them and have a fulfilling life. The statement he issued after Tuesday’s punishment sounded sincere (“I am taking this time to work on myself and become the man I need to be … I had lost my love for the game and it led me to some poor choices but I am thankful to the Raider organization for believing in me.”).

I also believe there are people in the NFL who earnestly want the suspension system to work in a constructive way. I wish those people would be more transparent about all that. So you won’t be surprised to learn that I have a suggestion that I will submit, free of charge, to your favorite professional football league.

If you have watched the NFL Network on cable or satellite, then you know that the league-operated television channel finds many ways to fill up the 24/7 programming. Shows such as “Total Access” and “Fantasy Live” and “NFL HQ,” often rerun several times, all meant to hype the upcoming games or sell the product.

How about creating another show? Call it the “The Suspension And Discipline Hour.”

Someone from the NFL office could appear and outline why certain punishments were issued, for incidents on and off the field. Players could explain how they got in trouble, issue apologies or plead their case for reduced time or whatever.

I would watch that show. A lot of people would watch that show. Especially on days such as Tuesday, when Smith’s suspension did not feel much like a resolution. Instead, it felt like more of the same old mushy and confusing and rarely effective justice.

Read Mark Purdy’s blog at . Contact him at . Follow him on Twitter at .

Aldon Smith now has a year to think about his next snap from scrimmage.

Fair enough. But the National Football League has five seconds to call me to explain why it took so long to determine Smith’s punishment.

One … two … three … all right, I guess that’s not going to happen.

Perhaps the NFL will clarify its reasoning eventually. I’m not holding my breath. The truth is, the league should have taken about five minutes to determine and issue Smith’s suspension way back in August, not long after he was arrested for his third DUI violation. Remember, the NFL does not have to wait on the legal system. It can conduct its own investigation and dispense its own justice.

Instead, here we are in mid-November. And finally, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has ruled on Smith’s case.

During the interim, the troubled linebacker was cut by the 49ers, signed by the Raiders, played nine games in an Oakland uniform and earned at least a few million dollars in the process.

Did Smith learn anything by this? Did the league? Did anyone?

It’s not clear to me that the answer to any of those questions is “yes.” Or why the decision took so long.

In the wake of Tuesday’s announcement, much of the focus was on a tangential hot-button issue: Smith’s punishment of a full calendar year exceeded the punishment received by Dallas Cowboys defensive end Greg Hardy, who was found guilty of assaulting his girlfriend and then assessed a 10-game suspension by Goodell. Hardy appealed the conviction, which resulted in dropped charges — and the suspension was reduced to four games by an arbiter.

Yes, it seems odd that Hardy’s suspension was less severe for a 2014 domestic violence incident (documented by ugly photos) than the suspension that Smith received for a clumsy and sad August encounter in a Santa Clara parking garage that resulted in a dented car door but no physical harm to anyone.

The official explanation for such disparate punishments? Hardy’s suspension was issued under a previous NFL discipline policy, one that Goodell tried and failed to unilaterally revise after the league’s new emphasis on zero tolerance for domestic violence. By the time Smith’s episode occurred in August — his fifth arrest overall — the policy had changed and been approved by the players’ union.

That’s all just bureaucratic minutiae, however. I keep returning to the central issue:

What, exactly, is the NFL trying to accomplish with the way this entire suspension procedure works? Let’s use Smith’s case as an example:

None of this is meant to trivialize Smith’s situation or wish him ill will. The guy has demons. You have to hope he can conquer them and have a fulfilling life. The statement he issued after Tuesday’s punishment sounded sincere (“I am taking this time to work on myself and become the man I need to be … I had lost my love for the game and it led me to some poor choices but I am thankful to the Raider organization for believing in me.”).

I also believe there are people in the NFL who earnestly want the suspension system to work in a constructive way. I wish those people would be more transparent about all that. So you won’t be surprised to learn that I have a suggestion that I will submit, free of charge, to your favorite professional football league.

If you have watched the NFL Network on cable or satellite, then you know that the league-operated television channel finds many ways to fill up the 24/7 programming. Shows such as “Total Access” and “Fantasy Live” and “NFL HQ,” often rerun several times, all meant to hype the upcoming games or sell the product.

How about creating another show? Call it the “The Suspension And Discipline Hour.”

Someone from the NFL office could appear and outline why certain punishments were issued, for incidents on and off the field. Players could explain how they got in trouble, issue apologies or plead their case for reduced time or whatever.

I would watch that show. A lot of people would watch that show. Especially on days such as Tuesday, when Smith’s suspension did not feel much like a resolution. Instead, it felt like more of the same old mushy and confusing and rarely effective justice.

Read Mark Purdy’s blog at . Contact him at . Follow him on Twitter at .

Aldon Smith now has a year to think about his next snap from scrimmage.

Fair enough. But the National Football League has five seconds to call me to explain why it took so long to determine Smith’s punishment.

One … two … three … all right, I guess that’s not going to happen.

Perhaps the NFL will clarify its reasoning eventually. I’m not holding my breath. The truth is, the league should have taken about five minutes to determine and issue Smith’s suspension way back in August, not long after he was arrested for his third DUI violation. Remember, the NFL does not have to wait on the legal system. It can conduct its own investigation and dispense its own justice.

Instead, here we are in mid-November. And finally, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has ruled on Smith’s case.

During the interim, the troubled linebacker was cut by the 49ers, signed by the Raiders, played nine games in an Oakland uniform and earned at least a few million dollars in the process.

Did Smith learn anything by this? Did the league? Did anyone?

It’s not clear to me that the answer to any of those questions is “yes.” Or why the decision took so long.

In the wake of Tuesday’s announcement, much of the focus was on a tangential hot-button issue: Smith’s punishment of a full calendar year exceeded the punishment received by Dallas Cowboys defensive end Greg Hardy, who was found guilty of assaulting his girlfriend and then assessed a 10-game suspension by Goodell. Hardy appealed the conviction, which resulted in dropped charges — and the suspension was reduced to four games by an arbiter.

Yes, it seems odd that Hardy’s suspension was less severe for a 2014 domestic violence incident (documented by ugly photos) than the suspension that Smith received for a clumsy and sad August encounter in a Santa Clara parking garage that resulted in a dented car door but no physical harm to anyone.

The official explanation for such disparate punishments? Hardy’s suspension was issued under a previous NFL discipline policy, one that Goodell tried and failed to unilaterally revise after the league’s new emphasis on zero tolerance for domestic violence. By the time Smith’s episode occurred in August — his fifth arrest overall — the policy had changed and been approved by the players’ union.

That’s all just bureaucratic minutiae, however. I keep returning to the central issue:

What, exactly, is the NFL trying to accomplish with the way this entire suspension procedure works? Let’s use Smith’s case as an example:

None of this is meant to trivialize Smith’s situation or wish him ill will. The guy has demons. You have to hope he can conquer them and have a fulfilling life. The statement he issued after Tuesday’s punishment sounded sincere (“I am taking this time to work on myself and become the man I need to be … I had lost my love for the game and it led me to some poor choices but I am thankful to the Raider organization for believing in me.”).

I also believe there are people in the NFL who earnestly want the suspension system to work in a constructive way. I wish those people would be more transparent about all that. So you won’t be surprised to learn that I have a suggestion that I will submit, free of charge, to your favorite professional football league.

If you have watched the NFL Network on cable or satellite, then you know that the league-operated television channel finds many ways to fill up the 24/7 programming. Shows such as “Total Access” and “Fantasy Live” and “NFL HQ,” often rerun several times, all meant to hype the upcoming games or sell the product.

How about creating another show? Call it the “The Suspension And Discipline Hour.”

Someone from the NFL office could appear and outline why certain punishments were issued, for incidents on and off the field. Players could explain how they got in trouble, issue apologies or plead their case for reduced time or whatever.

I would watch that show. A lot of people would watch that show. Especially on days such as Tuesday, when Smith’s suspension did not feel much like a resolution. Instead, it felt like more of the same old mushy and confusing and rarely effective justice.

Read Mark Purdy’s blog at . Contact him at . Follow him on Twitter at .